TERRACES AT SANTIAGO HONORED BY NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
HOME BUILDERS WITH BEST IN AMERICAN LIVING GOLD AWARD

SANTA ANA, CA – The National Association of Home Builders has selected Terraces at Santiago, an affordable urban infill apartment community developed in Santa Ana, CA, by C&C Development Co., LLC, and Orange Housing Development Corporation, for the Association’s 2013 Best in American Living Gold Award. Terraces at Santiago received the top national award in the category “Development up to 4 Stories, For Rent.”

“The Best in American Living Award winners represent the leading edge in design trends that are shaping the housing industry,” said Greg Ugalde, 2013 design committee chair. “We are proud to continue a 30-year history of honoring those who set the bar high by encouraging originality and imagination.”
According to the design committee, Terraces at Santiago was selected for the Gold Award because: “Its design has respect for the rich architectural heritage of Santa Ana, including well-executed Spanish Colonial style. Not only are the residents proud of their own new neighborhood, but also of the broader community context of interwoven neighborhoods, supported by this project’s architectural character and style.”

Featuring Spanish/Santa Barbara architectural influences and, the community’s design was a collaboration between C&C Development, City of Santa Ana’s planning and housing staff, C&C’s non-profit development partner, Orange Housing Development Corporation, and Bassenian Lagoni Architects.
Developed on a one-acre site, Terraces at Santiago is the first apartment community to be built under the City of Santa Ana’s new Station District Transit Zoning Code, and its 36 apartments are affordable to families who earn between 30 percent and 50 percent of the area median income (AMI). The workforce housing property consists of a mix of two-, three-, and five-bedroom units and is built over subterranean parking. In addition, Terraces at Santiago features gated pedestrian and auto access, a tot lot, onsite laundry facilities, community room, leasing office, shaded courtyards, and raised planter beds.

Terraces at Santiago is centered around the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center (SARTC), a major hub of public transit within Orange County. “With the community’s affordable rents, lower income residents can live closer to where they work, thus decreasing the need to commute by private vehicle,” said Todd Cottle, principal of C&C Development. The property is located in a mixed zoning area, with industrial users sharing property lines with the project to the North and the East. Appropriate site features were incorporated into the design to minimize the influence of the adjacent industrial uses.

With a LEED Gold certification, Terraces at Santiago was designed with a focus on reducing energy and water usage, controlling waste management, and reducing operating and maintenance expenses. Terraces’ design aims to reduce energy usage by exceeding California’s energy efficiency regulation, Title 24 by at least 15 percent, incorporating high efficacy lighting, energy star appliances, and the use of a photovoltaic system to offset common area electricity usage. Water usage is conserved and reduced by the use of low flow fixtures and toilets, high efficacy irrigation system, and storm water is aggressively managed with onsite filtration.